HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The holidays are over and now I have time to catch up with things. Sherlock - oh Sherlock - my first baby! A long time ago when I was quite young and had no use for cats, a sweet little feline came into my life and changed it forever. In my defense re: the cat 'disliker' comment above, I had very bad experiences with cats previously and my family always owned dogs. Back to the story - a friend of mine found a litter of 5 motherless kittens in a cardboard box in the basement of an academic building at the New England college he was attending at the time. He was able to take 3 of them home, but needed to find homes for the other 2. When he called me, I was pretty negative about the whole idea, but he asked if he could just bring them over for me to see. He was quite a persuasive one, so within 1/2 hour he came right over with them. They were so cute, but I wasn't sure I liked the way their bodies felt when I picked them up - sort of fragile and awkward and those crazy claws! However, the more I played with them, smelled them, cuddled with them - my misgivings melted away. After all, they were motherless and homeless, weren't they. I wasn't anybody's mother yet, so maybe it would give me some practice? And, most of all, Sherlock looked me in the eyes as if to say, please let me stay with you - I will be good - I promise. And, of the 2, Sherlock seemed to be the weaker and most affected by the abrupt disappearance of his mother. He would lay on my chest, snuggle, purr and then look up at me with those beautiful eyes. The other one was a little bolder and probably more well adjusted, and cute and appealing all the same. So, as you know already, I did take these 2 cats into my home and named them Sherlock and T.C. (for Top Cat). My life now included the need to feed, clean up after, take to the Dr and love 2 additional beings. The joy I felt when I came home every day was worth any extra work they required. They were happy to see me, rubbing up against my legs and purring; their fur was so soft - as I petted them I could feel my stress levels take a nosedive. I became very close to both of them and all was well for a time. After a few years, Sherlock seemed fine but he was always the skinny one, the one who needed the most attention. One day when I was at home, one of my neighbors knocked on my door carrying a cardboard box. Inside was Sherlock lying on his side. He told me he saw Sherlock in his back yard dragging his hind legs behind him trying to get home. I rushed him the vet's office to discover that he had thrown a blood clot and it had lodged in his lower body and prevented the blood from getting to his legs. The prognosis was not very good. For a couple of weeks, I gave him medication to thin his blood, massaged his legs, isolated him in one corner of the bedroom, helped him eat, kept his little space clean and sanitary. Unfortunately, despite all of the efforts as recommended by the vet, I found him no longer breathing one morning when I woke up. I was quite distraught and found it difficult for quite a while to get over losing my sweet little Sherlock. Even now, when I look at a picture of him (which I did over the holidays), it takes me right back to the feelings I had for my first baby - we needed each other and nurtured each other until the end. There is no doubt in my mind that animals in our world can feel pain and have complex relationships with each other and with humans. How is it that our human world tolerates the abuses that occur to domesticated animals and farm animals? We need to look no further than how we feel about our pets - it really is that simple! Go vegan!

Feed the Turkeys

Last Saturday went to the "Feed the Turkey" celebration at the local Farm Sanctuary - Traveled there together with a small group of animal rights activists. The day started off with a visit to the Farm to see all the rescued farm animals - cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys and more. The air was cold but the sun was shining and the beautiful views of

the surrounding farmland and rolling hills were beautiful and calming. The main event was the feeding of the turkeys. The food is piled neatly on large trays - cranberries, lettuce and assorted greens and placed on low lying tables. Once all is in place, the turkeys are let out of the barn to partake of their feast. Check out this picture:

After the turkey feast is over, there is time to continue to visit with the animals, take some refreshments at the Main building or visit the gift shop. Warm cider, vegan cookies and apples - Yummy on a chilly day! 3 of us also had fun discovering a secret 'well-heated' video room where we watched a great factory farming animated short called "The Meatrix". If anyone would like to see this (google Meatrix), it communicates the info about factory farming in an entertaining and clever way.

After the farm visit, we all went to a very upscale restaurant for a vegan meal. The banquet room was large and very festive. The food was delicious - yummy appetizers, tofurky, field roast, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy. The dessert was a pumpkin truffle and a chocolate dipped strawberry. It was so nice to be able to eat every offering without having to ask what was in it!!! There were speakers with interesting stories and info and many conversations with fellow animal lovers and vegans. What a rare treat it is to be spending a day with others on the same path to the compassionate life. No animal suffered in the success of this day. I hated to see it end. Here are a couple of other pictures that captured the spirit of the event.

"Juneau, Alaska - it's so far away. If I had the money I'd be there today"....... from a song. This is a picture of a great little restaurant we found when we visited Alaska last summer. Silverbow Bagels - just the name evokes a feeling of happiness, comfort, satisfaction. Most people don't think of Alaska as a state that would support alternative food choices. However, when we stayed in Juneau for a few days, this was proved false. In the restaurant right next to the Driftwood Lodge (where we stayed) was the Starlight Cafe and they had vegan pancakes and said right up front they could make anything on their menu vegan if we would like. They actually knew what vegan was and what was part of a vegan diet. Amazing! I had the pecan maple vegan pancakes and they were wonderfully decadent. Took half of it back with me to be warmed up the next morning. In addition, there was an alternative grocery store within walking distance that had organic, vegetarian and vegan items, food, books, accessories. Rainbow Foods! My favorite place was the Silverbow Bagel Bakery shown above. Once we discovered it, it became my first choice for a meal out. My favorite was a daily special of a vegan soup and a freshly baked bagel, toasted and topped with veg oil spread and a salad all for an amazingly reasonable price. The soup was full of vegetables, leafy green and otherwise and lots of great spices. The bagel was freshly made and tasted it! The salad was loaded with greens, tomatoes, dried cranberries - absolutely fresh and delicious. Even now as I am writing this, I wish I could hop on a plane and head over there. Except for the harbor full of cruise ships, Juneau, Alaska is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and I know that it is a place that seems to be very friendly and tolerant of human diversity in so many ways other than just the food. It irritates me when people only associate Alaska, now that I have been there, with Sarah Palin. We mostly saw the Inside Passage - Wrangell to Juneau - it is wonderful, breathtaking, and, yes, remote. It calls to me even now after I have returned home and resumed my normal life. Was I really there? Was it a beautiful, crazy dream that I don't want to wake up from? Anyway - I love you Silverbow Bakery and I miss you and don't know if I will every return again.